VenDetta
by Svinorita
Summary: The Sparda Twins are facing their deadliest feud ever, one that has grave consequences for them both. Only by embracing their humanity and working together can they hope to restore order in their lives before they wind up completely destroying themselves and their alter-egos...
1. The First Cut is the Deepest

_Author Note:_

_From the moment I played DMC5 for the first time, I've been fascinated by V. It has been my intention to write a story in which he appears as one of the main protagonists for some time now. But much like the enigmatic nature that surrounds the embodiment of Vergil's humanity, my imagination tends to work in mysterious ways sometimes and the original idea I had for the story in question, got somewhat twisted over time (as you will find out if you decide to read on beyond this wacky intro note, xD)_

_In this story, Vergil will learn the hard way that playing with sharp objects (namely swords) not only poses a risk to his personal safety, but can also have catastrophic consequences to those around him. Meanwhile, Dante will learn the importance of minding his own business as well as giving his twin brother some much-needed breathing space!_

_Speaking of Dante, I am a lot like him in that I often deal with personal heartache through humor (a word of warning: my sense of humor can be as sharp as an aged parmesan cheese, xD)_

_I'm sure you've all heard of the saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…" In a sense, this story is a bit like my own brand of "lemonade" (I just hope it won't be too sour for you! This first chapter isn't that funny, but I promise things will get more interesting in subsequent chapters!) _

_Thank you to everyone for taking the time to read! Enjoy :)_

_~Svinorita_

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The First Cut is the Deepest.**

Dante pushed open the door to Papa Giuseppe's Pizzeria and stepped out onto the quiet street on the outskirts of Red Grave City. The sun had already dipped below the horizon and a crisp, autumn chill hung in the air. The red-coated devil hunter flexed his shoulders and stretched lazily before shattering the late evening silence with an almighty belch that startled even him.

"Oops! I wouldn't be surprised if they heard that one all the way in the Underworld…" Dante snickered to himself half-jokingly.

The smile quickly faded from his face as he looked around and noticed a group of teenage boys hanging around a nearby alleyway, smoking cigarettes and staring at him as though they wanted trouble.

One of the young thugs, which Dante speculated was probably the leader, judging by his attitude and cocky stance, casually flicked his cigarette to the curb and stepped out onto the sidewalk, blocking the devil hunter's path as he came closer to the group. The teenage punk folded his arms over his chest and made a big show of looking badass while his three buddies gathered around him and sneered at Dante imposingly.

"Oops indeed, grandpa." The leader of the group sniped mockingly. He flashed a nasty grin at Dante, revealing a row of yellowed teeth as he took a menacing step towards the devil hunter. "What's an old fart like you doing out here so late? You never know who you might run into on the streets after dark…"

As the young thug spoke, the other teens began circling Dante like sharks, the cigarettes hanging from the corners of their mouths glowing eerily in the rapidly-fading daylight.

Dante wasn't so easily intimidated. With a smooth flick of his coat, he drew his twin pistols; Ebony and Ivory. The four teenage punks instinctively recoiled at the sight of the handguns and backed away from the devil hunter as he waved his weapons at them threateningly.

"You're right about that, young man." Dante gestured at the smoldering cigarettes the teens held with Ebony's muzzle and added coolly, "Maybe if you and your buddies stay by your mommas' sides, sucking on your pacifiers instead of those poison sticks over there, you might just live to be my age someday…"

The formerly cocky teenage thugs didn't look so tough now. Dante couldn't help smiling to himself inwardly as he took another imposing step towards the unnerved youngsters and yelled, "BOO!"

The young thugs practically tripped over one another as they turned and fled the scene, dropping their cigarettes in their haste to get away from the crazy white-haired man before any of them ended up getting shot.

Dante watched them disappear around the street corner with a mixture of self-satisfaction and disappointment.

"Oh well. There goes my fun…"

He tucked Ebony and Ivory back into his coat and started making his way over to the motorcycle parked at the curb not far from Papa Giuseppe's restaurant when he saw a silhouette heading through the gate leading to the graveyard at the opposite side of the street. Dante stopped and stared at the dark, overgrown path the figure had disappeared down in astonishment. Even though he'd only caught a glimpse of the man out of the corner of his eye before the shadows cast by the trees that grew along the cemetery's entrance hid him from view, there was something all-too familiar about the elegant yet purposeful way the figure had moved that left no doubt in Dante's mind as to his identity…

Before even realizing it, Dante had crossed the street and started following the path that the man had taken through the graveyard.

"_Damn it, Vergil. What are you up to now?"_ Dante wondered as he picked his way along the narrow, tree-lined path, his eyes straining to see the slightest sign of his twin in the dark gloom ahead.

It wasn't long before Dante caught up with the stealthy figure. His heart began to thump faster when he saw Vergil's unmistakable blue coat and flash of silvery-white hair shining in the moonlight. Dante held his breath, the trees concealing him from view as he watched his brother veer off the main path and begin making his way intently down a narrow aisle that snaked through a cluster of gravestones in a nearby clearing.

Using the trees as cover, Dante crept closer, never taking his eyes off Vergil as the elder of the Sparda twins continued weaving his way through the rows of graves with a tangible sense of purpose that Dante found both intriguing and strangely unsettling. It wasn't until Vergil stopped in front of a particular headstone at the very edge of the clearing, that revelation dawned on Dante and he let out an audible gasp of shock.

The grave was old and choked with weeds, not unlike many others in this derelict section of the cemetery. But even though Dante hadn't come here in many years, the location of that particular grave was firmly etched in his memory and the sight of it made his breath catch in his throat, an overwhelming feeling of loss welling up inside his chest like an icy fist squeezing his heart.

It was their mother's grave.

Vergil's head whipped around to look in Dante's direction as though he had suddenly become aware of his little brother's presence. Dante had just enough time to duck down behind a row of graves at the other end of the aisle before his brother could see him. He held his breath and desperately hoped that Vergil would not come over to investigate. There was something very suspicious about Vergil's being here tonight and Dante couldn't afford to have his cover blown now.

He needed to get to the bottom of this…

Fortunately, Vergil chose to ignore him and calmly turned his attention back to Eva's grave. Dante cautiously peeked out from his hiding place and saw that Vergil had unsheathed Yamato, its long blade glinting ominously in the moonlight as he slowly and deliberately drew his thumb across the razor-shape edge. A few drops of blood dripped onto the ground in front of Eva's grave and Dante watched in rapt silence as Vergil stared at his own reflection in the blade and began muttering something sinister-sounding under his breath. Dante carefully inched closer to his brother's location, straining to hear what Vergil was saying. But no matter how hard he listened; he couldn't quite make out the words. It almost sounded as though Vergil was reciting a chant or incantation in a language that Dante did not recognize…

Intrigued, Dante crept even closer, the sound of his own heartbeat echoing loudly in his ears as he got to within a few feet from where his brother stood. All of a sudden, Vergil gripped Yamato's hilt tightly with both hands. Dante was shocked to see that his brother's eyes had a glazed look to them as he directed his gaze at Eva's grave and spoke in a cold and determined voice.

"This time it will work. I will cast aside my useless humanity right here at your grave. It meant nothing to you back then, so here it is. I don't need it either…"

"_No! Not this again!"_ Dante thought as the chilling realization of what Vergil was about to do hit him like a ton bricks. _"I have to stop him!"_

Vergil adjusted his grip on Yamato so that the lethal blade was pointing directly at his own chest and raised it high above his head just as Dante broke cover and ran up behind him, his arms outstretched as he desperately tried to knock the sword out of his brother's hands before the ritual was complete.

"VERGIL! DON'T DO IT!"

But it was already too late.

Whether Vergil was too distracted to hear Dante's warning or simply chose to ignore it, the outcome was inevitable. Dante tackled Vergil from behind at the exact moment that his brother plunged Yamato's blade deep into his chest, simultaneously impaling himself AND Dante in one swift motion.

A single thought flashed through Dante's mind as Yamato sliced straight through his heart, the pain so intense that he felt like his soul was literally being ripped from his body.

_"Brother. What have you done…?"_


	2. Identity Crisis

**Chapter 2 – Identity Crisis**

Dante could endure a lot of pain. Over the years, he has been stabbed, jabbed and sliced by countless things. The resulting wounds he often sustained in many of those instances would have undoubtedly killed him if it wasn't for the demon blood that flowed through his veins and accelerated the healing process.

However, the pain he was experiencing right at this moment, was on a whole other level of excruciating.

Dante's vision began to blur and he felt himself slipping backwards, as though he was floating out of his body. His hand groped weakly at Yamato's blade, still protruding from Vergil's back and skewering him through the chest. But he had already started to fall and his efforts to anchor himself to his body were in vain. A fresh wave of pain, so intense that it almost made him lose consciousness, shook him to his very core and before he knew it, he felt himself being violently thrown out of his own body.

Dante hit the ground hard and lay there completely helpless, struggling to breathe as the terrible pain that had permeated every last cell of his being, mercifully started to subside a little. His senses desperately tried to adjust to the foreign and terrifying situation he currently found himself in. But his vision was still really blurry and he found it difficult to think clearly.

After what seemed like an eternity (but in reality, was probably less than a minute,) Dante raised his head off the ground, blinking repeatedly to try and clear the haziness that clung to his vision like a thick fog. He did not see any sign of Vergil. But he could vaguely make out a figure kneeling at the spot where his own body had been just moments earlier. Dante stared at the figure uncertainly. It took a moment for his vision to improve and when it did, he made a weak sound in his throat that sounded like something in-between a sob and a gasp.

As the figure standing before him rose to its full height, Dante realized that it wasn't human…

At first, his confused, pain-riddled mind thought that he was looking at Sparda. But as he focused on the great demon more closely, he realized that it definitely wasn't his father. Even though it had its back to Dante and he couldn't make out its features clearly through the fogginess that lingered over his brain, he noted that the demon vaguely resembled the legendary Dark Knight in silhouette. However, it appeared to be much taller than Dante recalled his father being and an eerie red aura seemed to surround it as though it emitted an intense, fiery energy.

As Dante looked on with a mixture of fear and awe, the demon seemed to sense his presence and its head slowly began turning in his direction. Dante let out a terrified whimper and tried to scramble back from the imposing entity, but his arms and legs wouldn't move. The demon made a low, guttural growl as it turned its head towards him. For a brief, heart stopping moment, Dante thought he saw one of its blazing red eyes looking straight into his own frightened eyes.

Then all of a sudden, an incredible feeling of peace descended over Dante and his racing heartbeat slowed to a much steadier rhythm. He had no idea what had just happened. It was as if the demon had sensed his distress and had sent out some powerful soothing energy. From that moment on, Dante knew that this particular demon meant him no harm.

On the contrary. It seemed to be trying to reassure him in its own strange way…

A loud, furious roar suddenly sounded from somewhere to Dante's right and he felt a renewed sense of fear gripping his weary soul. Turning his head to the side, he saw another massive figure come charging out of the shadows straight towards him and the tall, red demon. Dante was on the verge of losing consciousness and his vision was becoming out-of-focus again. But as the menacing figure drew closer, he could make out just enough of its horrifying form to recognize it for what is was…

_Urizen!_

As Dante lay trembling and helpless on the ground, the great red demon turned its attention to the rapidly advancing threat. It unleashed a deafening cry of rage and spread its vast, leathery wings, blocking out Dante's bleary view of Urizen as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"_He has wings?! How did I not notice that till now?"_ Dante thought with a sense of wonder. His vision grew increasingly dim and he felt himself slipping further and further into unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered before his exhausted new body finally lost its battle to stay awake and he drifted into a fretful sleep, was a blinding flash of reddish light like a portal being opened.

An instant later, both Urizen and the mysterious red demon vanished and an uneasy silence descended over the cemetery once more.

XxXxXx

Some time later, Dante awoke and sat up with a startled gasp. The awful pain that had wracked his body earlier was now gone and his vision had finally cleared properly. He glanced around at his surroundings anxiously. But there was no sign of neither Urizen nor the tall, red demon that had protected him from the former's terrifying wrath.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Dante's attention and he turned to see a familiar face staring at him not far from the spot where he and Vergil had stood impaled together, prior to Dante having his soul forcibly ripped out of his body.

"V?" Dante ventured hesitantly.

The person sitting opposite him didn't look quite like the V Dante remembered the last time his dumbass brother decided to use Yamato to separate his human and demonic sides into two distinct beings. Sure, he still had the raven black hair, dark green eyes and lanky build as before.

But something wasn't right. V looked_ younger_ somehow, as though Vergil had done something to alter his humanity's age this time in addition to casting him out again. Also, Dante noted that the distinctive tattoos that had covered V's entire body the last time he'd seen him, were mysteriously absent now…

V stared at Dante with confusion as the former devil hunter got to his feet unsteadily and took a shaky step in his direction.

"Yeah. I'm V. Who the hell are you and why are you meddling in my business?" He demanded harshly, his green eyes searching Dante's face suspiciously.

Dante stopped abruptly a few feet away from V and regarded him with a mixture of bewilderment and annoyance. "What's the matter? Don't you recognize me, brother? It's me! Dante!"

V shook his head in disbelief. "Impossible. You're not Dante…"

He climbed to his feet slowly; his expression skeptical as he scanned the stranger's face for the slightest trace of familiarity. "You don't look anything like him!"

"You've got to believe me!" Dante insisted with mounting frustration. "I am – I mean, I _was_ – Dante before you went ahead and shish-kebabbed both of us with Yamato…"

Even as he spoke, Dante realized that V's reluctance to believe him only confirmed what he had suspected from the moment he had been flung from his body and had witnessed that terrifying encounter between Urizen and the mysterious red demon before losing consciousness. If V was here right now, then that must mean he was no longer entirely himself either…

No! Of course, he's still Dante! Who else could he possibly be?! He still retained all his memories prior to the incident tonight and as far as he was concerned, he still looked as good as his usual handsome self. He couldn't possibly be that different… could he?

Besides, V looked considerably younger than the last time Dante had met him. Did that mean _he_ was younger too?

Dante looked down and studied his hands carefully for a moment. His skin did appear to look more radiant and youthful. A smile broke out on his lips and he laughed with excitement. "I don't believe it! I'm young again! This is so cool!"

Dante ignored the cynical look V gave him and slapped his belly with glee. "All that pizza I ate over the years and I'm still slim…" The smile suddenly melted from Dante's face and was replaced with a look of horror as he felt a series of unflattering ripples break out across his abdomen. He looked down at his stomach with dread.

"Strike me dead! I'm fat!"

V folded his arms and smirked at his mortified companion teasingly.

Dante shot him a pleading look. "Why? How can this be happening?!"

V shrugged casually. "Maybe it has something to do with all that pizza you consumed throughout the years like you said?" His expression turned a little kinder and he added reassuringly, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're actually not _that_ fat. Just a little on the podgy side…"

He meant it too. He was still at a loss to explain as to why the separation ritual had drastically altered their ages this time around. It troubled him deeply at first. But the longer he thought about it, the more inclined he was to believe that this strange phenomenon might not be such a bad thing after all. Unlike the frail, weak shadow of his former self that he'd been last time, V felt stronger and more beautiful than ever right now. His hair was glossy and vibrant, his eyes bright and full of life. Even his skin had a noticeably healthy glow to it. Most importantly, he was no longer in constant pain now that his body wasn't decaying and literally crumbling to pieces around him!

The sound of Dante's voice snapped V out of his thoughts and he turned his attention back to his annoying young counterpart reluctantly.

"At least I still have cool hair!" Dante boasted proudly, raising his hand to run his fingers through his smooth, silky locks. His joy quickly turned to anguish as his hand came into contact with the thick, curly mess on top of his head and he let out a disappointed sob.

"V? Could you please describe what my hair looks like?"

V gladly obliged and began describing Dante's new hairdo in as much detail as he could. "Well, it's a little bit matted right now. But other than that, it looks as though it might be naturally wavy or curly. The color is kind of reddish…"

"Are you kidding me?! I'm a redhead?!" Dante exclaimed in disbelief.

V made a calming gesture with his hands and continued speaking in a reassuring tone. "Relax. It's really not so bad. If you want my honest opinion, I think it might actually look quite nice after you brush it properly."

Dante sighed and nodded in resignation. "Okay. I suppose you're right…"

He looked up a V with a sad smile. "I'm definitely not _me_ anymore, aren't I?"

V gave him a sympathetic look. He remembered how confused and afraid he had been when he'd gone through this ordeal the first time. Sometimes he had felt like he was still Vergil even though he looked different on the outside. Then there were other times when he felt as though he was a completely different person and had wanted nothing to do with the man he had once been. He had struggled with his sense of identity for a long time but in the end, V was forced to accept that he was both Vergil and a unique individual at the same time.

That's something Dante would have to come to accept for himself soon…

The young man formerly known as Dante, suddenly cleared his throat to get V's attention. "Since I'm no longer Dante, I think it's time for me to officially introduce myself…" He took a deep breath and offered his hand to V in greeting.

"From now on, you can call me _D_."

V slapped away the hand D extended towards him and shot him an irritated look. "Hey! Keep your hands to yourself! In case you haven't noticed, we're both completely naked here! And that wasn't my hand you almost just grabbed..."

D looked down at himself and realized that his brother's humanity was right. "Huh. That explains the windchill I've been feeling all this time…"

D glanced back up at his counterpart sheepishly. However, V didn't appear to be listening. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest and was rubbing them as though he were trying to warm himself up, his eyes scanning their surroundings nervously.

"Relax, V. So what if we're naked?" D spread his arms to indicate at their surroundings, before continuing to speak in an upbeat, carefree mannerism. "Look around, brother! It's the middle of the night and we're in a graveyard! It's not like anyone is going to see us or anything…"

"Be quiet, you blabbermouth!" V snapped impatiently, his anxious gaze sweeping the area one final time before coming to rest on D's softly teasing expression.

"Where are our demon halves?" V asked in a hushed tone. "Something is very wrong about all this…"

D shuddered impulsively as images of the harrowing encounter he'd had earlier with Urizen and that strange red demon flashed through his mind. Apparently, V must have been unconscious or something when that unnerving little drama had unfolded right in front of them earlier. D decided to keep what he'd seen to himself for the time being. There would be time to talk of their MIA demon halves later. Besides, D hadn't the slightest clue as to their current whereabouts and to be perfectly honest, he preferred it that way…

D tried to push the disturbing memory to the back of his mind and proceeded to put on an air of false bravado. "You know what? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." A shiver ran down his spine and he hugged his arms to his chest in an attempt to try to keep himself warm. "What we urgently need right now, is some clothes. This wind sure has a nasty chill to it!"

"I don't suppose you've got any ideas about where we can find some clothes, do you? You seem to have an answer for just about everything!" Despite his snide remark, V was silently hoping that his loudmouth counterpart really did know where they could get some clothes. He was absolutely freezing!

"As a matter of fact, I do!" D replied with a mischievous grin. "I have a friend named Giuseppe who owns a pizza restaurant not too far from here. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that much if we went over and borrowed some items of clothing from his clothesline."

"I guess it's worth a try." V agreed reluctantly. He didn't exactly have a better idea and right now, he just wanted to put on some clothes and get warm. He couldn't care less about where the clothing in question came from…

D turned and set off down the narrow trail ahead, motioning for V to follow with a wave of his arm.

"Come on, bro. Let's go pay Papa Giuseppe a little visit!"

* * *

_Note: Some of you may be a little confused by the concept of this story so far. But I can assure you that everything will be revealed in the end! Like one big puzzle, all the pieces will fall into place! Have patience my friends…_

_I initially intended to make V and D closer to the age Nero was in DMC4 when I first planned this story. But plans change and, in the end, I decided to make them even younger (around 15 years of age for those of you who are curious.) I couldn't help noticing that in the game, V looks to be considerably younger than Vergil (I know that sounds a little strange but let's face it: _Everything_ about V is strange in one way or another!)_

_If that really is the case, then I imagine the embodiment of Dante's humanity would also be much younger than Dante himself (I've always thought of Dante as being like a big kid at heart anyway, lol!) Exactly why their ages have been altered will be revealed later on like many other mysteries scattered throughout this story :)_


End file.
